Mount Maunganui Bayfair 'safety escorts' spat at, abused

A safety escort - who is not allowed to speak to media - prepares for pedestrians using a new controlled crossing at Bayfair, Mount Maunganui. Photo / George Novak

Workers employed to keep pedestrians and motorists safe on one of Bay of Plenty's busiest highways are being spat at and abused by angry motorists.

Waka Kotahi NZ Transport Agency employed the nine "safety escorts" as part of the wider Mount Maunganui Baypark to Bayfair (B2B) project on State Highway 2. The safety escorts have been employed fulltime to continuously monitor a newly installed controlled pedestrian crossing on Maunganui Rd by Bayfair since it became operational on February 12.

As contractors, the safety escorts are not allowed to talk to media but one has spoken out, pleading for people to take greater care travelling through the area.

The worker, who the Bay of Plenty Times has agreed not to name, said they experienced "traffic flying through our site" despite safety signage and a 50km/h limit.

The worker told the paper they were doing their best to keep themselves and the public safe but were often treated with "nasty" hostility by motorists. Sometimes, it was for matters as simple as removing a cone from the middle of a lane.

"We are just doing our job."

The worker said they did not like being spat at and yelled at by angry drivers when they were doing their best to make sure traffic and pedestrians were safely guided through the site.

The worker said they all wanted to get home back to their families safely after their shifts. Despite this, the worker said they loved their job.

Another safety escort told the paper they were often abused while trying to do their jobs.

Transport agency portfolio manager Darryl Coalter said the safety escorts were brought in to provide continuous guidance and monitoring of the crossing while people became familiar with the new temporary signalised crossing and layout.

Motorists are estimated to experience delays of up to 20 seconds.

Within the first week there were three instances of verbal abuse against safety escorts that the transport agency was aware of, from a cyclist and two motorists.

However, overall the safety escorts had been well received "and have received morning tea cakes and doughnuts in appreciation from members of the public", Coalter said.

The safety escorts were employed through CPB contractors. Each shift was eight hours long and patrolled by two people. They had been monitoring the 24 hours a day, seven days a week.

However, On March 5 the transport agency removed the graveyard shift between 10pm and 6am due to "a very low number of people using the crossing at night".

It was not yet known how long the safety escorts would continue manning the crossing, which was also under continuous CCTV monitoring, or if they would do likewise as other crossings became operational as the B2B project progressed.

Coalter said the transport agency would "continue to review the requirement for safety escorts while the crossing is in place".

When asked how much the transport agency, a Government entity, was spending on the safety escorts, Coalter would not answer, saying the cost of the safety escorts was subject to commercial confidence.

"Total costs vary depending on the number of shifts undertaken and the total duration [that] will be required."

Coalter said the safety escorts were part of the wider project's budget, following an independent safety audit recommendation. The costs were currently being funded from within the B2B contingency sum.

Bayfair Underpass Alliance chairman Philip Brown said he was "really happy they are there".

Brown said the safety escorts were worth having on board because their presence made a difference to motorists stopping at the crossing.

"People might say 'it looks expensive' or 'oh it's going to cost a lot' but what's the cost of a life? Particularly for school children using it. Yes, it's costing money but it's keeping people safe.

"They are also there if people have trouble coming off the carpet [pathway through the construction site]."

Any future decisions involving the crossing will be determined following the outcome of the Bayfair underpass investigation.

The transport agency, along with other community and civic groups, was exploring options to retain the popular pedestrian and cycling accessway at the Bayfair intersection.

A decision on the underpass could be known as early as the end of the month.